Kitchn Love Letters

I Hated Doing Dishes Until I Found This Easy-to-Use Cleaning Tool

published Oct 3, 2022
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Someone placing stack of dirty dishes in kitchen sink.
Credit: Sarah Crowley

I think it’s fair to say, no one likes doing the dishes. Whether you’re the type to wear dishwashing gloves or let your hands swim in the debris-filled water, there’s no doubt the end result will be pruned fingers, soapy water on the countertops, and little food bits littering the corners of the sink. But, someone’s gotta do the deed, and living alone, that person is me. So, I’ve spent some time gathering dishwashing essentials that make the dreaded after-dinner task a little more tolerable. I will say, it made a difference. Between the compostable sponges, organizational dish caddies, and space-saving dish racks, clean-up is certainly a little less painful.

The one dish duty tool I hadn’t figured out, though, was the right brush. While my colleagues have tons of bristle-filled cleaning implements they swear by, I felt a little like goldilocks. This one’s too heavy, this one’s too stiff … nothing I tried felt maneuverable and effective. I was just about to hang up the brush idea for good when I got my hands on Brabantia’s refillable scrub tool and realized a good set of bristles really does change the dishwashing game!

The refillable brush fits perfectly in my hand — no unwieldy handles necessary — making it into an effective extension of my arm itself. Because of the round shape and elongated bristles, I find that the scrubber can get to those hard-to-reach corners of pans or sinks. The brush comes in two stylish colors: the versatile charcoal or an elegant light grey. I opted for the light grey to match my kitchen’s color scheme, but I’ll admit, I was nervous. I thought that choosing the light color meant bristles that were prone to staining, and I expected to have to toss it after one run-in with a turmeric latte. Much to my surprise, no matter what I put the bristles up to, they never stain and they never scratch pots or pans. They’re perfectly calibrated IMO — just stiff enough to really get the stubborn bits from the bottom of the pan all while being pliable and soft enough to keep every single interior intact and scratch-free. Plus, it comes along with a little rubber dish that not only keeps your countertops soap-free, but also helps to tidy up the space around the sink.

The best part? The built-in soap-dispenser. I never have to worry about re-coating the bristles with a layer of soap, since the soap drips from the underside of the brush, ensuring each bristle is covered in grease-fighting goodness. And, while it is self-dispensing, when I’m handling a really tough mess, I press on the brush’s release button to let out an extra flow of soap. Before you know it, I’m scrub-a-dub-dubbin’.

Bottom line: Will I ever like doing dishes? Absolutely not. Does this tool make doing the dishes easier, more efficient, and more effective? Yes, yes it does. I’ll even go as far as to say that of all the dish duty equipment I’ve accumulated over the years, this little brush has been my best find thus far.